Syracuse.com - 'Take a Soldier Fishing' tournament featured 132 Camp Drum participants (includes video)

[HuntingNY-News]

The biggest fish caught of the day was a 9.06 pound drum. Overall, 90 percent of the field reported catching fish on some kind.

Submitted photoThe day’s big fish was a drum (sheephead) that weighed 9.06 lbs. brought in by the NYBCF President Chuck Rowlee and soldiers John Haddon and Jeff Hart.

The following is a press release from NY BASS Chapter Federation:

The NY BASS Chapter Federation held its fourth annual Take a Soldier Fishing on April 28th launching out of Oneida Shores Park in Brewerton.

The day started at 6 a.m. with 72 volunteer boaters assembling at the park to meet the 132 soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division. Many of these soldiers had just returned to upstate New York after a 13 -month deployment to Afghanistan and all seemed very eager to get on the water and sample the fishing Oneida Lake offers.

As with many fishing events Mother Nature made her presence known by sending a record cold front through the area the evening before and participants were greeted with 29 degrees temperatures at the morning registration.

To kick off the event, soldiers received a free Bass Pro Shops rod & reel combo, donated tackle, and Dunkin Donuts & coffee. Soldiers received short safety brief, were paired two to a boat and launched at 9 a.m. with the goal of boater & soldiers teaming to catch the biggest fish in season.

Many boat teams decided to forgo trying for a weigh-in fish and instead focused their angling efforts in the Oneida River west of the Interstate 81 Bridge seeking rod action available from pre-spawn smallmouth bass.

Oneida Lake has a closed season for black bass until the third Saturday in June and only select species (Drum, Common Carp, Bowfin, and pan fish) were designated as eligible weigh-in fish. Several boat teams stayed in the main lake in pursuit of these fish.

By the 1 PM weigh-in the temperatures heated up to the 50 degree range and the bite was on. The Bass Pro Shops Pontoon boat piloted by Mark Kratz reports catching 32 smallmouth bass and Pickerel on tubes and Boat Captain Mark Martin reported catching his biggest Oneida Lake largemouth weighing 6.10 lbs. Overall 90% of the field reported catching fish of some kind.

The day’s big fish was a drum (sheep head) that weighed 9.06 lbs. brought in by the NYBCF President Chuck Rowlee and soldiers John Haddon and Jeff Hart. Second place went to the team of boat captain Marty Bertrand and soldiers Jimmy Shepard and Frank Doles with a Drum of 2.46 lbs. Taking third place honors with a drum weighing 2.03 lbs. were boat captain Gerry Rosenbarker and soldiers Kalob Woods and Chris Clark.

After the weigh-in participants were treated to a cookout served by volunteers followed up by a free raffle draw for prizes consisting of movie tickets, dinner coupons, car washes, oil changes, charter trips on Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River, more fishing tackle, rods reels and other goods and merchandise.

As special thank you go to the all that volunteered for shore duty; Joe Maloof, Bill Lamanche, Kevin Seymore, Pam & Scott Bliss, Dick Hyde, Mickey & Kathy Fortunato, Linda & Luke Martin, Terry & Jeff Botting, Joe Sager, Nancy Bonk, Mitchell Monini and Andrew Telesca

Event Sponsors

Bass Pro Shops, Modern Welding, Association of the United States Army (Northern NY Chapter), Mountain Community Homes, Pine Camp Flooring, Onondaga County Parks, Caskinette’s Lofink Ford, US Reel, TFO Rods, The Rod Glove, Lucky Craft Lures, Otis Technologies, Victory Graf-Ex, Kinney Drugs, MF Baits, Stanley Lures, Paul Hudson, Good Ole Boy Bassmasters, Salt City Bassmasters, Westchester Rod & Reel Bassmasters, MITSHE Charters, Dean Meckes Charters, Corning (MET Division), Onondaga County Federated Sportsmen, Fort Drum Sergeants Major Association, NYBCF Juniors, Todd Covert, Barb Elliot, Burnie & Lori Haney, Girl Scout Troop #40436, Scott & Pam Bliss, Mike & Karen Cusano, Luck-O- Irish Guide Service and Romano Subaru.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog